Special Exhibits

2013 Crafts Competition Award Winners

2013 Crafts Competition ResultsNAWCC National Convention, Dayton, OH

Class 1: Single-Train Clock Movements - Metal

First Place: Nathan S. Bower (MI)

“A Clockmaker’s Art” is an 8-day, weight-driven precision skeleton movement with a “true seconds” compensating pendulum and Brocot escapement. Flamed blued hands and screws provide a rich contrast against the ornate, hand-pierced, and hand-engraved dial. This original design was conceived in spring 2010 and took more than one year to complete.

Second Place: Duane R. Houchin (WY)The basic design of this movement was taken from the book How to Make a Skeleton Clock by W. R. Smith. The plates and dial have been modified to fit my specific movement. The great wheel was enlarged from 108 teeth to 128 teeth, and the center pinion was modified accordingly. The movement was designed with Masonic and Eastern Star symbols to reflect our involvement in various Masonic organizations. The front and back plates, dial, gear blanks, side plates for the pulley, square and compass overlay on the dial, and computerized drafting were provided by others. See case on facing page.

The intent of the clock case was to represent the presiding officer station in the Masonic Temple in Laramie, WY. The clock case has egg and dart trim on the canopy as was used in the building of the temple 100 years ago. The case is made of solid walnut and the insignia is made of maple. The egg and dart trim and hardware were purchased. See movement on facing page.

Third Place: Edward Arthur (CAN)

Eli Terry-style pillar and scroll case. Plans were found in a book by George Bruno. The case is poplar with 1/16" walnut veneer. The plinths are tiger maple. The maker cut the hinges and escutcheon plate and made the pattern for the mold for the cast bronze finials.

Honorable Mention: Hugh Overton (MO)

Case is constructed from a detailed article by Brian Rogers in the October 1993 NAWCC Bulletin.

Julius Peck. New splat made, columns stenciled, and hole repaired in the dial. Replacement gears fitted in the movement (as found the movement plates and escape wheel were present, but all other gears were missing). Lower tablet painted.

Third Place: Edward W. Bikowitz Jr.

William S. Johnson. Veneer replaced: four corners and two sides. Ogee veneer repaired. Dust covers replaced and movement cleaned. Wood knot in the bottom replaced, case pulled together and all wood cleaned and restored. Lacquer finish and waxed applied and new movement mounting made. Period dial obtained and top glass replaced with old glass.

Honorable Mention: Gerry Koolen (CAN)

A small European tower clock restoration. Neither the country of origin nor the maker is known. All restoration work done by entrant, including silk-screening the dial and fashioning the crank.

Honorable Mention: Paul Henion (MI)

C&LC Ives triple-decker clock.

Class 15: Reverse Painting on Glass

First Place: Paul Henion (MI)Reverse-painted tablet that is lithograph applied to the glass in the same manner that is believed to have been originally done in the 1830s.

Second Place: Paul Henion (MI)Pair of reverse-painted tablets in a single door of a Riley Whiting clock. Upper tablet was copied from a Hopkins & Alfred clock, and the lower tablet was copied from another Riley Whiting clock.

Class 16: Stencil Bronzing

First Place: Paul Henion (MI)Stenciled and reverse-painted tablet from a C&N Jerome clock. The original from which this was copied shows that on the lower area the stenciling was oxidized and darker. To duplicate this, I mixed regular bronzing powder with trace amounts of “carbon black” in the lower areas only.

First Place: Phil Gregory (TX)Replacement statues cast of plastic and finished with parts replaced and painted.

Class 22: Horological Novelties

First Place: Frank Del Greco (OH)Designed, built, and installed automated rewind system on an E. Howard “roundtop” time-and-strike tower clock for the Federated Church in Chagrin Falls, OH. The man who wound the clock weekly for decades wanted to retire, but he would not until someone installed an automated winding system. The church paid for the equipment and parts, and labor was donated.

First Place: Chapter 92—Southwestern OntarioThe tower clock that our chapter was involved in restoring has great local historical importance. It is the only one of three tower clocks built by George Hess of Zurich, Ontario, still in use. George Hess was born in Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1833. In 1851 he traveled to Switzerland where he learned watch and clockmaking. He immigrated to Canada in 1856. On that journey he had a series of very unfortunate events; one was the loss of all his tools. The three clocks were built in 1880, 1881, and 1888. It is the first clock that was involved in this project. This tower clock, installed in St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zurich, has been in service there since that time. The other two clocks are no longer in service; in fact, one appears to have disappeared. The other, while restored, no longer functions to tell the time but is on display in the Exeter Ontario Town Hall. Chapter 92 was approached when the clock began to show signs of wear and would no longer run well. A team of six members began to work on the clock with the intent to leave all parts intact to be as original as possible. Unfortunately, some parts were worn beyond repair, so a second attempt involved machining new parts.